Neil Spencer 

Youssou N’Dour: I Bring What I Love

This soundtrack to a film about the Senegalese star Youssou N'Dour proves a fine introduction to his music, writes Neil Spencer
  
  


N'dour's 2004 album Egypt confirmed the Senegalese star as one of Africa's great cultural ambassadors but brought him condemnation for blasphemy at home. The turbulence in N'Dour's career was documented by film-maker Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi in I Bring What I Love. This soundtrack is a fine introduction to N'Dour's music. The pulsing "Immigrés" revisits early triumphs, while the new "Yonnent" captures the soaring intensity of N'Dour's singing. He's best served by acoustic and orchestral backings but even the odd cheesy synth can't dispel his vocal majesty.

 

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